Tag Archives: paprika

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Although this dish from my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook is a good choice for any day, it is an especially great choice for a very cold and snowy day! My original Plan A was to prepare this dish yesterday but once the weather man mentioned we could expect 3-6″ of snow today, I switched to Plan B.  What could warm a snowy day more than paprika-seasoned chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts?  I cooked a pot of my treasured short-grain rice to accompany this dish though you might find mashed potatoes or a loaf of crusty French bread most enjoyable sides as well.

This dish has hardly any prep at all.  Only trim the stem ends of your Brussels sprouts and halve them, or quarter them if they are very large, mince the garlic and slice a lemon and you’re practically there! Today I cut the sprouts in half since the chicken thighs were very large and I didn’t want the sprouts to finish roasting before the chicken.   Make the seasoning  early and rub it on the chicken so that it has time to thoroughly flavor the meat and then pop all in the oven for 30-45 minutes and you’re done.  If you use smaller thighs, they will need less time.  Today, I let everything roast for 45 minutes.

My local market doesn’t carry shallots so I substituted an onion; I used Hungarian paprika which is more on the hot (and not the sweet) side and it provided the tang in this dish along with the slices of fresh lemon.  Both flavors complement the sprouts; the chicken roasts up in the seasoning rub, resulting in the most tender and flavorful pieces.  There is enough olive oil on both the sprouts and in the rub so that you have plenty of juice to flavor either rice or mashed potatoes if you prefer them. The recipe offers a great alternative to boiling or steaming the sprouts and the seasonings produce sprouts bursting with flavor.  This is definitely a one-pot meal with the cook needing only to prepare a salad or starchy side dish for a well-rounded, delicious, supper.  You will find that is warming  and flavorful and really perfect for a late winter snow day!

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1 lb. Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered, if large)
4 small shallots, quartered if available; if not, use a medium onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
3 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. smoked paprika, sweet or hot
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 large, or 8 small, bone-in chicken thighs (2-1/2 lbs.), skin removed

Directions Preheat oven to 450, positioning rack in lower third of oven. Combine Brussel sprouts, shallots (or onion, chopped), and lemon with 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet such as a jelly roll pan. Mash garlic and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt with the side of a large knife to form a paste. Combine this garlic paste with the paprika, thyme, the remaining 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over the chicken. Nestle the chicken in among the Brussel sprouts. Roast on the lower rack until the Brussel sprouts are tender and the chicken thorough cooked, at least 20-25 minutes. Pierce chicken with a fork; if the juices run clear, it is finished. The Brussel sprouts will brown, roasting as they bake.

Spicy Tortilla Chips & Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus & Tortilla Chips

Wanting to try this recipe today for another Super Bowl party appetizer, but knowing that my local market doesn’t carry prepared hummus, I decided to make my own. It isn’t difficult and you need very few ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and water. Since I was already committed to making the hummus, I decided that a roasted red pepper version would fill the bill nicely. Off to the market for two cans of chickpeas then and a nice looking red pepper. And, yes, I did took the time to pinch the itty bitty skins off of the chickpeas, and, yes, that is a LOT of pea-picking, time, but I can’t imagine putting all those skins into the hummus itself; just a personal preference, but because it was a nice day for standing at the kitchen sink watching the clouds shift, I went on and did the pinching! Once the hummus is chilling in the fridge there is plenty of time for preparing the roasted pepper. Make sure that you allow the skin to char well as this insures an easy time removing it.  For today’s recipe, the last thing needed was preparing the tortilla chips and that takes just a few minutes.  Cut them into strips and place on a rimmed baking sheet then add the olive oil and seasonings and toss well to coat thoroughly before baking.  All this pinching and roasting resulted in a creamy hummus perfect for spreading or dipping with the spiced chips and you have texture and flavor that definitely rock!

One reason I chose this recipe is because I knew I could buy the hummus at a larger market and even though it didn’t turn out that way for me because I wasn’t at that market, if YOU want to cut your kitchen time in half, buy the hummus; larger grocery stores carry several versions already prepared; if you do so, then all you need do for this recipe is prepare the  tortilla chips the day before and store them in an airtight container. On game day, just plate your hummus and set out the chips and settle in for a little football fun. And accept the compliments graciously of course!  =)

Spiced Tortilla Chips & Hummus

Tortilla Chips – Recipe

Ingredients

4-8”inch flour tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
2 T. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 t. sesame seeds
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
Sea salt and black pepper
Hummus and paprika, for serving

Heat oven to 425° F. On a rimmed baking sheets, toss the tortilla strips with the oil, sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Store airtight.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus – Recipe

Ingredients

2 cans chickpeas
1 clove garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Approximately ½ cup water
½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions: Remove the skins from the chickpeas by gently pinching them until the skin comes off. Discard the skins and reserve the chickpeas. Drain the chickpeas then roast them in the oven in a shallow pan with a little olive oil, the garlic clove, and a dash of cumin, 400 degrees, for 20 minutes. Cool slightly then place all in a blender or food processor with garlic, olive oil, ¼ cup water, and salt. Blend and puree until very smooth. If the mixture remains sticky, add more of the water, a tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to achieve a creamy texture. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate, covered. Before serving, dust with paprika and drizzle with more olive oil.

To roast the pepper, core it and remove seeds and membranes, cut into large flat pieces; roast it under the broiler with your pan about 5” from the broiler element. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Allow the skin to become very charred. Remove from oven and place in a sealed Ziplock bag for 15 minutes. The skin will then slide off easily. For red pepper hummus, mince the de-skinned pepper and make a well in the hummus; fill with the roasted pepper.